We received details of the life and service career of Fusilier Anthony Addis, from William Best, the husband of Anthony’s niece. Fusilier Addis served with the Royal Irish Fusiliers in Italy and died in hospital of wounds suffered at the River Trigno at the end of October 1943.  He would be re-interred a year later…

The invasion of Sicily, known as Operation Husky, took place exactly 80 years ago and the recollections of that time remains especially vivid for families of the fallen as well as the local people on the island who greeted Allied soldiers as liberators. The memory of James Murtagh, a 31 year old Rifleman from Lurgan,…

It’s been nearly 80 years since the Irish Brigade’s remarkable assault on the hill-top town of Centuripe in August 1943. Led by the 6th Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (the Skins), the brigade fought their way into the town after prolonged assaults on the evening of 2nd/3rd August 1943 and, following its capture and the crossing…

“At that time, the Trigno was only about 20 or 30 yards wide and generally less than a foot deep. Its mighty bridge, which catered for a raging torrent, was about 600 yards long but about 50 yards was blown in the middle. E Company was sent to relieve the Faughs at the bridgehead. I…

Major Desmond Woods MC joined 2 LIR after the battles near Termoli and was almost immediately leading a patrol forward from Petacciato to guard a newly built bailey bridge over the Trigno river. “Well, to cut a long story short, the Irish Brigade, as it approached the Trigno… the Germans must have got wind that…

In October 1944, the Irish Brigade were involved in desperate fighting north of Florence in the mountainous area near Monte Spaduro. Amongst those present at Spaduro was a young lieutenant, Desmond Fay, who was awarded a bar to the Military Cross for his extraordinary courage: “On 23 Oct ’44, Lt Fay was ordered to take a recce…

Lieutenant Nicholas Mosley joined the 2nd Battalion, London Irish Rifles (2 LIR) during December 1943 and stayed with the battalion until the end of the war in Italy. He was platoon commander in E Company during the winter period in the Apennines of central Italy before the battalion moved to the Cassino front in March.…

An account of the battle period at Monte Spaduro on 19th/20th October 1944 was published in the Royal Irish Fusiliers’ Regimental Journal, ‘Faugh a Ballagh’ in 1945. It was written by the Faughs’ Commanding Officer, Lt Colonel John Horsfall, who would update this contemporary version in his marvellous memoir, ‘Fling Our Banner To The Wind’…

We’ve just received the sad news of the death of Rifleman Albert Leddy who served in Italy and Austria with G Coy, 2nd Battalion London Irish Rifles before becoming a piper with the 1st Battalion in Italy. Albert was called up in 1942 and was initially posted to the Royal Artillery before transferring to the…